Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-09
STATESMEN LOVE FLOWERS.
The National Gardener Chats
About Lovers of Plants.

STATESMEN LOVE FLOWERS.
The National Gardener Chats
About Lovers of Plants.
Standing the other day on the steps
of the Astor House was tall, lank
gentleman, plainly dressed, with light
blue eyes and firm but kindly ex-
preston on his face. He is, perhaps,
as well known as any character living
to the great army of public men who
have figured at Washington in the
past forty years.
The celebrated but modest person
age was William r. Smith, superin-
tendent of the botanical gardens that
lie at the base of the hill over which
the Capitol towers.
Nearly sixty years ago he saw the
light in little Scotch town near Edin-
burgh, and early developed taste for
plants and flowers. He was entered
as student at the Royal gardens at
Kew, where some dozen young men
are graduated each year in botany and
dominions.
1t was during the reign of President
Pierce, some thirty-five years ago, that
the young graduate of Kew arrived in
this country to create national gar
den. 1t was no tempting job at that
time. The marshy and unkcmpt land
was pre-empted by snakes and snipes.
The transformation scene that now de-
lights the eye from Capitol Hill has
been the result of long years of patient
toll.
Naturally, during this long period,
Mr.. Smith has been continually
brought in contact with public men.
Devoted to his plants and caring moth
ing for the turmoil of public life, his
friendships have all been personal.
The Scotch positivism of his charac-
ter is finely tempered with dry and
genial humor. Animosities of kinds
he hates, and public men thought ii
was like soothing opiate to "drop in
on Smith," after a stormy contest on
the hill and let their passions fall to
sleep on the roses breast. If Mr..
Smith were a mere monomaniac on
the subje OF botany, knowing moth
ing else, there would be little reason
for these men to court his company,
but he is a great general student, an
omniverous reader, and weaves his
quaint conceits in q quainter Scotch
brogue around any topic of conversa-
ton.
:" Do public men know or care much
about botany or your garden? ?' a Star
reporter asked him.
That's a question:" he replied,
that can be answered in several
ways. To most OF them the science is
sealed book. They only know the
garden as covenient flower bank, to
draw on when their wives give dinner
parties, or want to fix up for reception
days, or their sweethearts need a few
pansies for remembrance. OF course,
there's no sympathy between such
propensities and mine."
" But there are exceptions, no
doubt?"
"Oh, yes, and some very distin-
guished ones. Some public men have
excellent tastes and are experts in the
science. Mr.. Sumner was a great en-
thusiast; he ran to trees and was
about the most intelligent man on the
subject l ever met in public life. He
used to tell me that wnen travelling he
would peer out OF the car windows by
the hour, on the lookout for beauti-
full tree, and when his eye for the love-
ly and symetrical was satisfied he
would 60 into raptures. He would
gaze as lovingly as fond parent on
that old Italian beech that stood SO
long at the east end of the capitol, and
what an apostrophe he paid it in one
of his speeches. The last enjoyment
/ had with him, shortly befor he died,
was in visiting favorite elm of his
own Boston Common. Senator Ingalls,,
of Kansas, very dilettanti gentleman
in his tastes, also runs to trees, and is
u most devoted student of arboricul-
ture. Some of the most valuable sug-
gestions about distributing plants in
the west come from him.
"And then," the veteran botanist
continued, "there have been others
with passion for botany. Mr.. Fes-
sender, of Maine, was an ardent
apostle all through his long public
life. l remember that his wife had
sweet verbena in their home in Maine,
of which she was very fond. She
watched it tenderly as child, and
Mr.. Fessenden shared the feeling so
thoroughly that for thirteen years he
would journey home from Washing
ton to take up the plant in autumn
and make another trip in the spring.
time to set it out. No pressure OF pub
lie business could make him forget
that vcrbena. 1t was really paternal
devotion.
ssSenator James A Pearce, of Mary
land, was one of the most cultivated
botanists ever in Congress. Scarcely
q day passed that he did not drop in
ON me to watch the growth Of some
plant or some new experiment,
and his ideas were always scientific and
valuable. And then there was B.
Gratz Brown, very warm lover Of
flowers and a thorough master OF their
During all the time he
was in the Senate / don't believe he
missed day at the garden, and we
you'd chat for hours when he felt in
he lumor. 1t was a passion with
i'm as we'll as an instinct.
"There's another botanist in Con-
,ress, a most ardent disciple, and l
rnow the name will surprise you-blr.
Holman, of Indiana. Who in the
world would ever pick him out as a
over Of flowers? He is generally |
ooked upon by people who want to
'un their arms into the public crib as a
nan with narrow and niggardly